BASKET CARRIER FOR BOTTLES AND BLANK THEREFOR

Abstract: An articles carrier (C) of the basket type for bottles comprises a base (16, 22), opposed side walls (12, 28) opposed end walls (64, 66; 88, 90) and an internal medial partition structure (74, 84; 100, 110) which incorporates an upstanding handle panel (112, 144). The carrier includes bottle cells defined, in part, by transverse partition panels (116, 118, 120; 148, 150) on both sides of the medial partition structure. The open tops of the cells are substantially closed by removable top panels (32, 44) extending between the upstanding handle panel and respective side walls of the carrier and include openings (A) through which neck portions of bottles received in the carrier are exposed to view.

Description: BASKET CARRIER FOR BOTTLES AND BLANK THEREFOR This invention relates to an article carrier of the basket type adapted to accommodate a plurality of articles, such as bottles, and to a blank for forming the carrier. Normally a basket carrier for bottles includes a central (medial) partition structure which incorporates a handle structure by which the carrier can be lifted and carried and the bottles are arranged in rows on either side of th°. central partition structure. More often than not the b„ .ties are separated from one another by transverse partition panels extending from each side of the medial partition structure to ' the adjacent side wall of the carrier. Hence in this type of arrangement the bottles are accommodated in individual cells of the carrier although such cells are not always essential. In the present invention, in order to prevent individual bottles from being removed from the carrier the bottles are restrained by cover panels which can be detached after the full carrier has been purchased. The cover panels also help to keep the bottles dust free. One aspect of the invention provides an article carrier of the basket type adapted to accommodate a plurality of articles, such as bottles, comprises a base, opposed side and end walls and an internal medial partition structure including handle means by which the carrier can be lifted and carried, said articles being receivable on both sides of said medial partition structure of the carrier and wherein top panel means is provided to connect together said medial partition structure and each of said side walls, said top panel means having restraining means to separate adjacent articles when present in the carrier. According to a feature of this aspect of the invention said restraining means may limit movement of at least upper portions of said articles when present in the carrier. According to another feature of this aspect of the invention said restraining means may comprise openings formed in each of said top panel means. According to yet another feature of this aspect of the invention said top panel means may comprise a pair of panels each integral with but separable from said medial partition structure and respective ones of the opposed side walls. According to a still further feature of this aspect of the invention said medial partition structure may comprise integral transverse partition panels which interconnect the medial panels of the medial partition structure and each of the opposed side walls of the carrier thereby creating a plurality of article receiving cells on both sides of the medial partition structure and wherein each of the top panel means substantially closes the upward by open ends of the cells to prevent removal of the articles therefrom until said top panel means have, at least partially, been detached. Preferably, a pair of like handle reinforcing panels are hinged together and to respective ones of each of said top panel means, said handle panels being secured, once the carrier is loaded, in face to face relationship with an upstanding handle portion of the medial partition structure thereby locating each of said top panel means. According to a still further feature of this aspect of the invention, said base may include panel means adapted substantially to close the bottom of the carrier after the carrier is loaded and wherein said base panel means includes at least one opening by which the carrier can be impaled upon a post providing article separation means in a shipping crate. Another aspect of the invention provides a blank for forming an article carrier of the basket type comprises a single sheet of foldable material including panels for forming a base, opposed side and end wall panels and an internal partition structure incorporating handle panel means, and wherein each of the side wall panels are hinged together by panels for substantially closing the top of the carrier said top closing panels being formed with openings through which portions of articles to be accommodated in the carrier can be exposed to view. Preferably, said top closing panels are each hinged to respective ones of a pair of handle reinforcing panels, said pair of handle reinforcing panels being hinged to one another along a central fold line of the blank. An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- Figure 1 is a plan view of an unfolded single blank of paperboard from which a bottle carrier according to the invention is formed; Figure 2 is a perspective view of an erected but unloaded bottle carrier formed from the blank shown in Figure 1 shown from above and from one end, partly broken away; and Figure 3 is a perspective view of the bottle carrier similar to Figure 2 but shown complete and fully loaded with bottles. Referring to the drawings, and particularly to Figure 1 thereof, a bottle carrier "C" is formed from a single blank 10 of paperboard or other suitable foldable sheet material and is adapted to accommodate six bottles "B" (Figure 3) arranged in two rows of six bottles each. The carrier comprises a first side wall panel 12 to the lower edge of which is hinged an intermediate bottle heel panel 14 and a main base panel 16. Heel panel 14 is hinged to side wall panel 12 along fold line 18 and base panel 16 is hinged to heel panel 14 along fold line 20. Base panel 16 is formed with a pair of apertures "A" which allow the carton to be received in a bottle crate having upstanding partition posts. To complete the base of the carrier, when the carrier is formed, the free edge of base panel 16 is secured to a base strip 22. This is done after the carrier is loaded with bottles. Base strip 22 is hinged to an opposite bottle heel panel 24 along fold line 26 which in turn is hinged to the lower edge of a second opposing side wall panel 28 of the carrier along a fold line 30. The upper portions of each of the side wall panels 16 and 28, respectively, are similar and are integrally joined along a central fold line "F" of the carrier. Thus, the upper portion of side wall panel 12 includes an integral top panel 32 which covers the bottle receiving cells along one side of the handle structure H but includes a series of openings S, - S 3 through which neck portions of bottles accommodated in those cells protrude. Top panel 32 is hinged to side wall panel 12 along a frangible score line 34 and is also integral with and hinged to a first handle reinforcing panel 36 along frangible score line 38. Thus, in use, the top panel 32 can be torn away along the frangible score lines 34 and/or 38 and detached, at least partially to allow bottles in the underlying cells to be taken from the carrier. Handle panel 36 includes a handle opening 40 which is reinforced by a hinged handle flap 42. Similarly, the upper portion of side wall panel 28 includes an integral top panel 44 which covers the bottle receiving cells on the opposite side of the handle structure H and includes a series of openings S - S 6 through which neck portions of bottles accommodated in those cells protrude. Top panel 44 is hinged to side wall panel 28 along a frangible score line 46 and is also integral with and hinged to a second handle reinforcing panel 48 along frangible score line 50. Thus, in use, the top panel 44 can be torn away along the frangible score lines 46 and/or 50 and at least partially detached to allow bottles in the underlying cells to be taken from the carrier. Handle panel 48 includes a handle opening 52 which is reinforced by a hinged handle flap 54. Handle openings 40 and 52 are put into registry when handle structure H is formed. Further handle panel reinforcement is provided by reinforcing flaps 56 and 58. Flap 56 is hinged to handle panel 36 along fold line 60 and is folded into face to face relationship to reinforce panel 36 and, likewise, flap 58 is hinged to handle panel 48 along fold line 62 and is folded into face to face relationship to reinforce panel 48. One end of the carrier is provided by end panels 64 and 66, respectively. End panel 64 is hinged, along fold line 68, to intermediate panel 70 which provides a bevelled corner panel between side panel 12 and end panel 64. Panel 70 is hinged to side panel 12 along fold line 72. Along its opposite end edge panel 64 is hinged to medial panel strip 74 along fold line 76. Similarly, end panel 66 is hinged, along fold line 78, to intermediate panel 80 which provides another bevelled corner panel of the carrier between side panel 28 and end panel 66. Panel 80 is hinged to side panel 28 along fold line 82. Along its opposite end edge panel 66 is hinged to medial panel strip 84 along fold line 86. Medial panel strip 84 is secured face to face with medial panel strip 74 and forms a part of the central internal structure of the carrier as a continuation of and beneath the handle structure H. The opposite end of the carrier is provided by end panels 88 and 90, respectively. End panel 88 is hinged, along fold line 92, to intermediate panel 94 which provides a bevelled corner panel between side panel 12 and end panel 88. Panel 94 is hinged to side panel 12 along fold line 96. Along its opposite edge, panel 88 is hinged along fold line 98 to a main medial panel 100. Similarly, end panel 90 is hinged, along fold line 102, to intermediate panel 104 which provides a bevelled corner panel between side panel 28 and end panel 90. Panel 104 is hinged to side panel 28 along fold line 106. Along its opposite edge panel 90 is hinged, along fold line 108, to a main medial panel 110. The construction of the medial panels 100 and 110, respectively, is as follows: Medial panel 100 comprises an integral handle panel portion 112 from which is struck handle aperture 114 adjacent its upper edge. In order to create partitions which, in part, define one row of individual cells of the carrier, a series of three transverse partition panels 116, 118 and 120 is hinged to the main medial panel 100 along fold lines 122, 124 and 126 respectively. The opposite ends of the transverse partition panels are joined one to the next by a common anchoring panel 128 along fold lines 130, 132 and 134, respectively. A further anchoring tab 136 is struck from and hinged to transverse partition structure 116. At its upper edge, partition panel 100 carries a handle reinforcing panel 138 formed with handle aperture 140 and hinged to handle panel portion 112 along a fold line 142. Medial panel 110 comprises an integral handle panel portion 144 from which is struck handle aperture 146 adjacent its upper edge. In order to create further partitions which, in part, define the other row of individual cells of the carrier, a series of three transverse partition panels 148, 150 and 152 is hinged to the main medial panel 110 along fold lines 154, 156 and 158 respectively. The opposite ends of the transverse partition panels are joined one to the next by a common anchoring panel 160 along fold lines 162, 164 and 166, respectively. In order to form the completed carrier in flat collapsed condition from the blank, a series of sequential folding and gluing operations are required. Although these operations are known to those skilled in the art, in this particular case, first the handle reinforcing panel 138 is folded about fold line 142 and secured in face to face relationship with handle panel portion 112 of medial panel 100. Handle structure reinforcing panels 56 and 58 likewise are folded and secured in face to face relationship with handle reinforcing panels 36 and 48 respectively. Medial panel structure 100 is folded 180° to the right about fold line 98 and the common anchoring panel 128 and anchoring tab 136 are secured in face to face relationship with side wall panel 12. Similarly, medial panel structure 110 is folded 180° to the right about fold line 108 and the common anchoring panel 160 is secured in face to face relationship with side wall panel 28. At the other end of the blank, end wall 64 together with medial panel strip 74 are folded as one about fold line 68 into overlapping relationship with adjacent end parts of the folded medial partition structure 100 and, similarly, end panel 66 together with medial panel strip 84 are folded as one about fold line 78 into overlapping relationship with adjacent end parts of the folded medial partition structure 110. Thereafter the partially formed carrier is folded about fold line F to bring those parts on either side of the central fold line F into face to face relationship. Before this folding operation is effected, the handle portions 112, 144 and other parts of the main medial panels 100, 110 not associated with the transverse partition panels, together with their neighbouring end walls and medial strips 64, 74 and 66, 84 respectively have adhesive (glue) applied to them so that those areas of the carrier are secured together when the fold about fold line F is completed. The carrier is then in a flat collapsed form from which it can be erected for loading. Loading is accomplished by relative vertical movement between bottles and carrier during common forward feed movement, well known in the art, by which bottles enter their respective cells through the open bottom of the carrier. Thereafter, the bottom panel 16 is folded upwards to close the lower ends of the bottle cells and the free edge of bottom panel 16 is secured in overlapping relationship with the free eα-;e of securing strip 22 to form the base of the carrier. During and immediately after the loading process the handle reinforcing panels 36, 48 associated with top panels 32, 34 respectively are unattached to the remaining (internal) panels 112/138, 144 of the handle structure H so that the registration of openings A with the neck portions of loaded bottles is more easily achieved. Thereafter, the disposition of each of the top panels 32 and 44 is relatively fixed as a result of securing the (outer) reinforcing handle panels 36 and 48 in overlapping registration with the (internal) handle panel structure to form the completed ά.i le structure H as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. An article carrier of the basket type adapted to accommodate a plurality of articles, such as bottles, comprises a base, opposed side and end walls and an internal medial partition structure including handle means by which the carrier can be lifted and carried said articles being receivable on both sides of said medial partition structure of the carrier and wherein top panel means is provided to connect together said medial partition structure and each of said side walls, said top panel means having restraining means to separate adjacent articles when present in the carrier. 2. An article carrier according to claim 1 wherein said restraining means limits movement of at least upper portions of said articles when present in the carrier. 3. An article carrier according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said restraining means comprises openings formed in each of said top panel means. 4. An article carrier according to any of the preceding claims wherein said top panel means comprises a pair of panels each integral with but separable from said medial partition structure and respective ones of the opposed side walls. 5. An article carrier according to claim 4, wherein said medial partition structure comprises integral transverse partition panels which interconnect the medial panels of the medial partition structure and each of the opposed side walls of the carrier thereby creating a plurality of article receiving cells on both sides of the medial partition structure and wherein each of the top panel means substantially closes the upward by open ends of the cells to prevent removal of the articles thereform until said top panel means have, at least partially, been detached. 6. An article carrier according to claim 4 or claim 5 wherein a pair of like handle reinforcing panels are hinged together and to respective ones of each of said top panel means, said handle panels being secured, once the carrier is loaded, in face to face relationship with an upstanding handle portion of the medial partition structure thereby locating each of said top panel means. 7. An article carrier according to any of the preceding claims wherein said base includes panel means adapted substantially to close the bottom of the carrier after the carrier is loaded and wherein said base panel means includes at least one opening by which the carrier can be impaled upon a post providing article separation means in a shipping crate. 8. A blank for forming an article carrier of the basket type comprises a single sheet of foldable material including panels for forming a base, opposed side and end wall panels and an internal partition structure incorporating handle panel means, and wherein each of the side wall panels are hinged together by panels for substantially closing the top of the carrier said top closing panels being formed with openings through which portions of articles to be accommodated in the carrier can be exposed to view. 9. A blank according to claim 8 wherein said top closing panels are each hinged to respective ones of a pair of handle reinforcing panels, said pair of handle reinforcing panels being hinged to one another along a central fold line of the blank.

Inventors: BAKX MARTINUS, BAKX, MARTINUS
Applicants: MEAD CORP, THE MEAD CORPORATION
Application year: 1994
Main classification: B65D71
IPC codes: B65D71